Half Pint Heroes in a Half Shell
by MeddowFlower
Summary: Sure you hear about the turtles life as teenagers. Fighting crime, learning lessons... But what about the lessons that they learned before they had grown into their masks?
1. Bedtime

~~~I do not own TMNT~ Nor do I own Herbert the Timid Dragon~~~

"Dad?"

I opened one eye and listened. When no other sound came I closed my eyes and breathed deeply. It echoed again.

"Dad!"

I opened both eyes this time and stared to the door of my room. The small shadow of feet blocked the light from under the door. I smiled as I stood.

"DAD!" I opened the door to find a small turtle standing in front of me. "DAAAAA-Oh…" He looked at me with large, dark brown eyes. His hands were tucked behind his shell. Holding something, I assumed.

"Yes, Leonardo?"

He spoke rapidly so that I almost didn't catch what he was saying. "Raph and Mikey are fighting again, Donnie is snoring really loud and I couldn't sleep. Would you read this book to me?" He whipped his hands around to the front and held a book up to my eyes so close that I couldn't read the front.

I took the book and held it so that I could see. "Leonardo…This is a dictionary."

"What does that mean?"

We stared at each other for a moment and I set the dictionary to the side. "I'll find another book to read to you. You would not enjoy that one."

I put my paw on his shoulder and led him back to his and his brother's room. Even from down the hall I could hear the chaos that lay ahead. I opened the door and turned on the light to find Donatello lying spread-eagle on his stomach with multiple pillows over his head. I assumed this was Leonardo's attempt to quiet him. I then turned and saw Raphael holding Michelangelo to the floor. Raphael was laughing as Michelangelo squirmed and cried to be let loose. I tucked Leonardo in and asked him to wait. I then walked over and picked up Raphael under the arms. "You know better than this, Raphael."

He squirmed and swung his arms wildly as I took him back to his bed. "He took Oscar!" I placed him on his bed and picked the old, beaten teddy bear up off the floor.

"No he didn't. Look, here he is." Raphael snatched it from me and turned around to pout and rub the already furless right ear of the bear.

Michelangelo sniffed and wiped his nose on his arm before walking up and tugging on my kimono. "Look-it what he did!" He pointed to a small bruise forming on his green arm. His bright, blue eyes pooled with tears.

I kneeled down and looked at it. "Oh, it isn't bad." I lead him to his bed, tucking him in as well. I then went to Donatello. I removed the three extra pillows from his head and lifted his head to place his own pillow back where it should be. It was true that he was snoring loudly, so I rolled him onto his side. He gurgled some and his snoring subsided to a reasonable volume.

"Will you read now?" Leonardo called tiredly.

I smiled and went to the pile of books beside Leonardo's bed. "Of course I will." I searched for one that I hadn't read recently and sat on the edge of Donatello's bed; knowing that it wouldn't wake him. Leonardo and Michelangelo snuggled deep under their blankets as they listened to the story of "Herbert the timid Dragon". Raphael was facing the wall, staring down to his bear, and pretending to not listen or care about the story. But as I neared the end, he eventually turned and pulled his blanket over himself so that he could listen better. By the time the story was over, all of the turtles were yawning and on the verge of sleep, excluding Donatello who had not once stirred. I closed the book and laid it on top of the pile. Iwent to the door and took one last look around the room before I turned off the lights. After closing the door, I tiptoed off back to my room. The dictionary was still lying in the floor and I picked it up with a small chuckle. After placing it back in its spot I sat down and crossed my legs. Perhaps now I could finish meditating.


	2. Telling the Truth

~~~I do not own TMNT~~~

* * *

My four sons all ran about the house, playing with each other or amusing themselves. I was sitting in the living room watching my programs when an angered shriek came from behind me. I turned to see Donatello sitting behind a small pile of toy parts and Michelangelo pouting down to them.

"You took apart my fire truck!" He pointed helplessly to the pile.

Donatello held up a small screwdriver and waved it for Michelangelo to see, "I can fix it, Mikey! I swear it!"

"Why would you do that?" Michelangelo sat beside Donatello and crossed his arms.

"I just wanted to see-"

"Donatello," I stood and walked over to them as I spoke. "Did you ask Michelangelo before you did this?"

Michelangelo yelled up to me before Donatello could answer, "No! He asked if he could play with it! Not if he could break it!"

"Michelangelo, let him answer the question." I looked back to Donatello. He stared up at me with a twinge of fear and shook his head slowly. I sighed, "When you ask permission to do something, you must explain what exactly it is that you want to do."

"Yes, Daddy…" He looked at Michelangelo and then to the screwdriver still in his fist. He held it up to me.

I shook my head and chuckled as I pushed his hand back down. "You could fix it better than I could."

Donatello nodded quickly and turned to Michelangelo. "I can fix the lights, too."

Michelangelo looked at the half of the truck still in tact, "Cool! Really?"

I smiled as they sat and fixed the truck together.

"DAD!"

My ears flattened back from the volume of the scream. I then found myself being dragged along my Leonardo. He held the base of my kimono and tried his best to get me to run towards the dojo. "Dad, Dad, Dad! Raph broke the door! He did it on purpose!" His fleet slid around as I moved at a much slower pace than he did. When we got to the dojo, I noticed a hole in the rice paper.

Raphael was standing by the opposite door with his arms crossed and an angry pout draped across his face. "I didden' do it on purpose."

"Then what happened?" I forced Leonardo to release my kimono.

"I was walkin' by an' then Leo tripped me!" He pointed an accusing finger at Leonardo.

"Nuh-uh!" Leo put his hands on his hips and frowned at Raphael.

"Yuh-huh!" Raphael shouted back. "An' when I fell, my hand went through the door!"

Leonardo shook his head. "No, you did it on purpose!"

"Did not!"  
"Did too!"

"Did not!"

"Di-"

"Enough, my sons!" I placed a paw over each of their mouths and knelt down between them. I looked at Raphael, "You say it was because Leonardo pushed you?" He nodded. I then turned to Leonardo, "And you believe that Raphael punched it?" Leonardo hesitated before nodding. I raised an eyebrow at him, "Why do you think Raphael punched it?"

Leonardo looked at his feet, "Just 'cause…"

I stared at him for a moment and then stood. "One of you is not telling the truth and the only way I can think of to get the real story, is by punishing you both." Raphael stomped his foot and glared at Leonardo who still stared at the ground. I led them over to where I usually meditated and sat them in front of me then made myself comfortable. "You shall both sit here until one of you confesses to lying. I am willing to wait." I closed my eyes and listened to their movement. Raphael was sitting considerably more still than Leonardo was, which was opposite from the usual. The minutes passed slowly for them, I am sure, and eventually I heard a small sputter of tears. I opened my eyes to see Leonardo turned away from me and Raphael watching him. "What is it, Leonardo?"

He turned around and wiped his nose on his palm, "I did it, Dad. I pushed Raph. I just didn't want to get in trouble. Raph was being mean! He called me a chicken for not wanting to hit the punching bag."

"Leonardo, you should always tell the truth the first time. That way you will be in less trouble. Telling the truth is hard sometimes, but it is very important. It shows people that you are mature enough to take responsibility for your actions." I looked at them. "Unfortunately, you must both be punished. Neither of you will be allowed to watch TV until I fix the door. Understood?" They gave me a quiet nod in response.

When Leonardo finished wiping his face off, I smiled and stood. They followed after me back into the living room where Michelangelo and Donatello sat in the floor playing with the lights on the front of the fire truck. I patted Leonardo and Raphael's heads, "Why don't I order a pizza for dinner?" Such a sudden explosion of excited cheers rang out from them that I thought perhaps it echoed through the rest of the sewer. I walked over to the phone and glanced back at the four of them as they argued over toppings. Hopefully their obsession with pizza would settle with time.


	3. It is just part of life

~~~I do not own TMNT~~~

The turtles were growing up quickly, and I had recently begun their training. Their new masks were slightly larg on them and they had found themselves needing to tie them multiple times so they could not slip off. I had also started to walk them through the sewers so that they would learn them well. We would sometimes walk for hours just to circle back and come home. They were learning quickly, but it always seemed that Michelangelo had something better to do on these walks.

I was walking close behind Leonardo, and Donatello as they tried their hand at navigating us back to our home, while Raphael and Donatello strolled along behind. Michelangelo much further behind. I flinched when I could only here one set of feet padding along behind me, so I stopped and turned. Michelangelo was squatting down and staring into a pool that had formed underneath a road drain. He had a stick and he was pocking at something. Raphael turned too and ran after him. "Hey, Mikey! What'd'ya find?"

"A gold fish!" At this, Leonardo and Donatello ran too see as well.

When I stepped up behind them, I saw there was a small plastic bag floating in the street water. The form of a fish was visible inside the dirtied bag, but however it had fallen into the sewer, the bag had popped and the dirtied water was now seeping into the fish still wrapped inside.

Raphael frowned and snatched the stick from Michelangelo. "I think it's dead." He pocked the front of the fish and it began thrashing around violently.

Leonardo took the stick away from Raphael and threw it. "You're the one that's gonna kill it!"

Donatello reached into the shallow pool and pulled on the plastic bag. When the fish was unwrapped and floating tiredly through the water, he turned to Michelangelo. "Cup your hands." Michelangelo did this, and Donatello lined the middle of his hands with the plastic bag, making a small bowl. Raphael reached in a grabbed the fish and placed it in the makeshift bowl while Leonardo cupped some water inside. The fish wasn't moving much and was missing an eye.

I was greeted by four pleading stares. "Can we keep it, Master Splinter?" Leonardo pouted slightly.

I looked down at the fish again. It did not appear to be in any shape, but perhaps if the turtles cared for it, it would last. "Yes, let's hurry home and find it some proper water to swim in."

The four turtles ran ahead of me, Michelangelo at a slower pace so that he wouldn't drop their new pet.

When we were back home, I rummaged through the kitchen until I found a thick, clear vase. I filled it with water, and helped Michelangelo put the fish inside. I then sat it on the kitchen table for them to see.

Raphael stared at the while scales of the fish with confusion. "Has it not been out in the sun enough, or somethin'?"

Donatello rolled his eyes, "No! It's a Comet Goldfish. It's supposed to be white."

Leonardo leaned forward to see around Raphael. "Then why's it called a 'gold' fish?"

"Because it's still closely related to goldfish. It's just a different kind."

Michelangelo leaned forward to see past Leonardo. "Why do koala's have two thumbs?" The other three stared back at him in silence. Michelangelo crossed his arms on the table and leaned his chin on them. "Everyone else was asking questions about animals…"

I chuckled at them and then pointed towards the cabinet. "Donatello, why don't you find a cracker or two we can give to the fish."

As Donatello scurried off, Leonardo perked up and bounced some, "We should name it!"

Raphael smiled, "Yeah! Somethin' cool, like Spike!"

Leonardo turned up his nose. "But it's a fish! Naming it 'Spike' wouldn't make sense. What about Bubbles?"

Donatello ran up and began breaking the crackers he had found. "I like the name 'Maximus'."

Raphael frowned. "No, that's nerdy!"

I shook my head at their bickering. "You will all have to agree on a name."

Michelangelo shrugged. "Jerry?"

All four stared around at each other and smiled, "Yeah!"

I went into the living room and turned on the TV while the four stood on their toes watching the fish eat the bits of cracker. I smiled at the screen, glad that they had something besides hurting themselves or each other to occupy them. I jumped and muted the TV suddenly when the signal flickered and a loud screeching echoed from the speakers. I went over and stared down to the tangled mess of wires. "Donatello! Come fix the TV again!"

Jerry had been doing fine for the past week. He reached a point where he would actually swim and splash around, acting as though he had never been sick. I was proud of my boys for doing so well with cleaning the vase and feeding him. I truly believed we'd have Jerry for a good amount of time. But just as the goldfish had reached his peak in health, it ended.

I sat up in bed quickly. It was much to quiet. Even when all of the turtles were asleep, Donatello's snoring would ring through our home. But there was no sound now. I stood and put on my kimono before walking out into the kitchen. All four turtles were gathered around the fish vase. Raphael pulled out one of the chairs from the table and stood on it so he could stare down into the water.

"What is the matter?" I asked coming up behind Michelangelo and staring into the bowl as well.

Donatello turned to me with watery hazel eyes. "Jerry isn't moving, Master Splinter."

Raphael pulled the bowl towards himself and poked the fish that was now floating belly up in the water. He looked at me with confusion. "What's wrong with 'im?"

I took the bowl and looked into myself. It was obvious what had happened to him, and I was heartbroken to have to explain it to my sons. "I believe he's dead, Raphael."

His oversized, red mask crinkled as he pouted. "But we didn' even shoot or stab 'im!"

I picked Raphael up and stood him beside his brothers. "You do not have to 'shoot or stab' something for it to die."

Donatello wiped his nose on his wrist. "Was it because he was sick?"

I took the vase and took Jerry out of it. I wrapped him in some paper towels and then emptied the water from the vase. "It may have been. Or it could be that he was just old and it was time."

Michelangelo sputtered a bit through his tears before shouting out. "But you're old! Does that mean you're going to die?"

I turned quickly to the four who all gazed up at me with tear streaked faces. I forced myself not to laugh. "No, Michelangelo. I won't die for a very long time."

They all sighed with relief and then Leonardo looked up to the counter where Jerry lay in the paper towels. "So are we gonna bury him?"

Michelangelo shook his head. "I think we should put him back where I found him."

I carried the clump of paper towels with me as I walked the four out into the sewer. "I think that's a wonderful idea."

After we had released the fish into the dirtied water and said our good-byes, we began our journey back home. Leonardo seemed troubled, so I put a paw on his shoulder. "What is on you mind, Leonardo?"

He struggled to explain his thoughts. "Is… Is dying…Bad?"

At this, I paused. I kneeled down to his height and waited for the other three to gather around before speaking. "No, Leonardo. Dying is not a bad thing. It is just part of life. It must happen."

Raphael was now confused as well. "But on cop shows, they punish guys for making people die."

I sighed and thought over what to say. "Killing people is different. It is wrong to kill someone out of anger or just because you want to." I stared around to them. Their masks hung in awkward ways, but I knew they would grow into them quickly. "You will learn this lesson again when you are older. There may come a time when you must hurt or kill someone, but it will not be to kill. It will be to protect others. Or each other."

Leonardo smiled a bit to Raphael first and then to me. "Is that why you are training us, Master Splinter?"

I grinned and tightened his sagging mask some. "Yes, my son. That is exactly why."


End file.
